Topic: Episode 200: Up Where We Belong

[Jonnyboy117]

We celebrate four years and 200 episodes with a gigantic discussion of Nintendo DS and how it rose to dominance.

http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/rfn/23611

For this special anniversary episode, we skipped special guests, clip reels, and sappy remembrances. Instead, we decided to celebrate six years of Nintendo DS, on the eve of its true successor (or the fourth pillar?), the Nintendo 3DS.

Even our New Business segment is DS-centric. Jonny's addicted to Puzzle Quest 2, while Jon dusts off his DSi for X-Scape. Greg catches up with Jam with the Band, mysteriously released in Europe after years as a popular import. James wraps it up with Mega Man Zero Collection but also sneaks in a PC game with Tropico 3, which he describes as a sociopathic version of Sim City.

The lopsided conclusion is our feature topic, outlined and navigated by Mr. Leahy. Greg takes us through the early DS announcements, the playable debut at E3 2004, and the American-led launch (full of third-party titles, oddly). We each discuss the moments in 2005/2006 when we realized that DS might actually deliver on Nintendo's wild ambitions. And we ponder the larger significance and ubiquity of this tiny gaming system -- how it has affected our lives, our gaming habits, and the entire industry. It's a sweeping feature on an even bigger topic, but we covered as much as possible! Please send in your personal DS stories and comments on the feature, to be read on a future episode.

Finally, don't forget that the RetroActive: GBA Edition poll is ongoing and highly contested! Make your voice heard by voting before Thursday's deadline.

[greybrick]

Congrats you guys! 200 is a big milestone, and I am glad that my favorite podcast (sorry, Newscast) continues

[NWR_DrewMG]

No apologies necessary.  I wouldn't be here as a writer or podcaster if not for RFN.  Congrats, guys.

[Patchkid15]

Great job on 200 guys, 4 years of awesome coverage and stories all led up to this amazing episode. My biggest regret however is not sending in a drunkcast story, if only i hadn't been lazy.

[KDR_11k]

I got my DS as an import from Japan along with Wario Ware, mostly played GBA games like Ninja Five-O on it until it got a proper release here. I went for the DSi when that came out since my mother wanted her own DS to play the Ace Attorney and Prof Layton games and it was a better idea for me to buy a new one and give my old one to her. The DSi was a no-brainer since here the DS Lite cost 150€ and the DSi 170€.

[happyastoria]

I have the DS for three years and the only game I own is New Super Mario Bros. I still play it.

[Kytim89]

Two genres that have not seen too much time in the lime light on the DS is fighting and sports. For years I was saying that a Super Smash Brothers game for the DS was coming. With the advent of the 3DS, I think it is only a matter of time before we see this game come fourth. Sports, on the other hand, have seen a little bit presecence on the DS, but I have never noticed any kind of professional sports games on the DS, so, this genre will also have a bigger presecence on the 3DS.

As for the Dragon Quest series on DS and 3DS, I forsee Dragon Quest seven and eight being ported to the 3DS and we will have the entire series at our disposal. Secondly, I do not want to see Dragon Quest 10 on the 3DS because the wii needs all the RPG firepower it can get and it diserves to have that game. The DS and soon to 3DS already has enough RPGs or will have plenty of its own.

How does the RFN crew feel about a virtual handheld service for the 3DS? I have heared you guys talk about it, but you never elaborated on it too much. What games and consoles would you like to see emulated?

I actually made the suggestion that the 3DS could easily emulate Neo Geo Pocket Color games because of the similarity between the NGPC and the slide-pad of the 3DS.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DoLyr5hWS4s

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iy1FwpidHGE
 
 

[NWR_Lindy]

I'd like to see Saturn games emulated, for the simple fact that you really don't see them available very much.

My guess is that Project Sora's next game will be Super Smash Bros. 3D, and we'll see it in early to mid-2012.

[Kytim89]

I'd like to see Saturn games emulated, for the simple fact that you really don't see them available very much.

My guess is that Project Sora's next game will be Super Smash Bros. 3D, and we'll see it in early to mid-2012.

I want Saturn emulation too and the other people on this forum chew me up for it. Now I feel specieal because I have a friend in a high place who wants the same thing as me. Now I can always say that boss of NWR wants Saturn emulation too.
 
In fact, SEGA is interested in doing Saturn emulation.
 
http://www.andriasang.com/e/blog/2010/06/30/sega_saturn_downloads/
 
 

[Crimm]

I'd like to see Saturn games emulated, for the simple fact that you really don't see them available very much.

My guess is that Project Sora's next game will be Super Smash Bros. 3D, and we'll see it in early to mid-2012.

I want Saturn emulation too and the other people on this forum chew me up for it. Now I feel specieal because I have a friend in a high place who wants the same thing as me. Now I can always say that boss of NWR wants Saturn emulation too.
 
In fact, SEGA is interested in doing Saturn emulation.
 
http://www.andriasang.com/e/blog/2010/06/30/sega_saturn_downloads/

Emulating the Saturn is a fools errand, you'd be better of just porting the game.  It's such a stupid architecture that it is difficult to do.

[adadad]

Wow, you guys always make me feel terrible for not owning a DS, but especially so today listening to the podcast. Also any clue as to when the precious few of us listeners who sent in our creative attempts should expect to receive the precious audio file of the true tale we butchered in text form?

Oh, and great episode by the way, congrats on making it to 200 and many more to come I hope!

[Yoshidious]

Also any clue as to when the precious few of us listeners who sent in our creative attempts should expect to receive the precious audio file of the true tale we butchered in text form?

The audio should be going out to the brave few sometime on Friday, as I want to take some time to clean up the raw audio of the story that I saved from RFN 194. I would have liked to do this over the past weekend, but editing RFN 200 was such a marathon that it just wasn't going to happen. Patience my friend, soon you will know the (in every sense) awful truth...

[Crimm]

I really wish I could let everyone experience the true horror this story is when you get it over a cell phone, standing in line at a greasy diner for breakfast.

Twice.

[happyastoria]

I really wish I could let everyone experience the true horror this story is when you get it over a cell phone, standing in line at a greasy diner for breakfast.

Twice.

Can it be any worse than the story I submitted?

[SouthFork]

Congrats guys. Great title for the cast. What was that outro song? Sound familiar but can't place it.


~Where the eagles fly, on the mountain high.

[Yankee]

Congrats on 200, and a great episode as always. It reminded me of all of the great games I should have played on my DS a long time ago. One of these days I am going to have to use the James method and just grab five random games out of my local Gamestop in search of a winner, hopefully without any anger as a result of course.


Now I regret not sending in some kind of wild interpretation of what could be contained in the secret audio because I am extremely envious of those who are soon to be enlightened by the supposedly magical clip. I guess that is what I get for being part of the problem.

[Kytim89]

I bet the RFN crew would like to see a Eternal Darkness port over to the 3DS, or some kind of seqeul? Imagine the game playing with your mind by automatically reajusting your 3D. It would be totally awesome if it were to happen.

[Crimm]

Do not use the "grab 5 and pray" without a smart phone to make sure you're not about to, as the kids these day, "**** the bed."

[Kytim89]

I was a little dissapointed you guys did not mention that Sonic the Hedgehog made his RPG debut on the DS. Yes, the Sonic franchise is not looked upon very nicely, but it still diserved some kind of recognition.

[Crimm]

I was a little dissapointed you guys did not mention that Sonic the Hedgehog made his RPG debut on the DS. Yes, the Sonic franchise is not looked upon very nicely, but it still diserved some kind of recognition.

No it didn't.

[Kytim89]

I was a little dissapointed you guys did not mention that Sonic the Hedgehog made his RPG debut on the DS. Yes, the Sonic franchise is not looked upon very nicely, but it still diserved some kind of recognition.

No it didn't.

What do you mean? This was a good game and no speaks about it.

[Retro Deckades]

Congratulations guys! Can't thank you enough for the hours of entertaining discussion.

Congrats guys. Great title for the cast. What was that outro song? Sound familiar but can't place it.

I believe it is "Staff Roll" from Super Mario 64. I suppose in this case, it could possibly be Super Mario 64 DS.

[KDR_11k]

In the recent article about 3DS vs Sony 3D glasses Rob Fahey mentioned the Nintendo stock crashed after the DS unveiling. Everybody expected the PSP to win.

[NWR_Neal]

I was a little dissapointed you guys did not mention that Sonic the Hedgehog made his RPG debut on the DS. Yes, the Sonic franchise is not looked upon very nicely, but it still diserved some kind of recognition.

No it didn't.

What do you mean? This was a good game and no speaks about it.

No it wasn't.

I know this is getting into opinion at this point, but I really didn't like that game.

[Chad Sexington]

I'm beginning to think I'm going crazy when it comes to Puzzle Quest.  I've mentioned this on another forum (a long time ago) and no one else confirms it and everyone happily ignores it:

Puzzle Quest is unplayable.

I actually loved Puzzle Quest until I realized that there were only a handful of patterns that the gems are assembled at the beginning of every match.  And when I say "assembled" I also mean the pattern in which each additional gem is dropped down onto the playing area.  The replacement gems are all queued up in the same order for the handful of patterns.  They are not randomly scrambled.  The next time you're playing, pay attention to the beginning of each game.  Soon enough you'll find the same gems in the same places.  If you make the same move, the same gems will replace the ones that disappear.  Also, if you make the same move, the AI will make the same counter move, and that pattern will continue.

Once I noticed this and confirmed it, I put the game down and never touched it again.

Is this fixed in Puzzle Quest II?